Archive for blog post
Hey, He Took My Blog Post Idea!
Have you ever had an idea for a blog post, but before you can write about it, someone else beat you to it? If you write about social media and technology like I do, you probably answered "all the time!" It's actually quite rare for me to write on a topic that no one else has already. Jeff Bullas goes so far as to say that everything has already been said. I don't buy into that 100%, but I see his point.
Category: blog post, blogging, community, Content, News, originality, Social Customer, Social Media, Social Media Marketing /
21 Business Blogging Tips From the Pros
Do you blog for your business?
Are you looking for exciting tips to streamline your blogging experience?
If so, keep reading.
We spoke with 21 top experts to find the hottest business blogging tips you need to know today.
Here they are…
#1: Treat Each of Your Articles as a Product
Leo Widrich
Here is a tip that completely changed my blogging game recently. A friend sent me an email, stating that the quality of the posts on our Buffer blog was declining—and yes, she was right!
Since then, the whole team sat down and rethought our blogging strategy from scratch. What we came up with is something very simple, yet extremely powerful: Treat each of your articles as a product.
Since we started to do this, our traffic and our comments are going through the roof, and our overall feeling of happiness is too. Here are some of the points we derived from this:
- A product is only useful if you know others want it. Validate an idea for a blog post in the same way. For example, before posting an article, we tweeted a question about whether anyone was interested in learning more about multitasking. The outcome? They sure were, and the post was a big hit.
- A product is something that people would potentially pay for. Would they also pay for your articles? Simply starting to think, “Would anyone pay for reading this?“, immediately changed the quality. We started to add research on topics instead of just opinions, many more examples and in-depth coverage. That’s the only way we could provide value that someone might pay for (even though we don’t charge for it).
- A product needs continual iteration. So does a blog post. Hit Publish, even if you have grammar mistakes, formatting errors and so forth. You can correct these things along the way. We had also neglected to reply to comments, which triggered less overall engagement such as tweets and shares. The simple solution—don’t!
Treat each of your articles as a product. Image source: iStockphoto
Leo Widrich, co-founder of BufferApp.com.
#2: Crowdsource Unconventionally
Jason Miller
Your audience isn’t just interested in one topic, so push the boundaries of what you write about and tie it back to what matters most. The best bloggers in the world take cues from everyday life and turn them into inspiration for blog ideas.
It’s not enough anymore to just have an RSS feed of other industry blogs as your arsenal of fresh content ideas. Increased competition and decreased attention spans make it vital to differentiate yourself with new approaches to overdone ideas.
My favorite sources for content ideas come from places I would least expect. For example, want a lesson in writing headlines? Go to the magazine rack at the supermarket and take a look at the covers of Cosmo or Men’s Health. These folks are pros at grabbing attention and are experts in writing compelling headlines that pull the reader in.
Combining that approach with ideas culled from online industry aggregators such as LinkedIn Today and offline magazines such as The Week can be a powerful way to develop fresh blog ideas.
Use a note-taking app such as Evernote to keep track of these ideas the moment they strike.
Take a look at magazine covers to see how the pros are grabbing attention. Image source: iStockphoto
Jason Miller, social media manager at Marketo.
#3: Produce Your Own Media Content
Jim Belosic
Producing your own media content is by far the best blogging tip I could give.
When you use your own images and video in your blog, the payoff is enhanced SEO because others might link to your original article and you could get more exposure if your images are linked to and embedded elsewhere. You also receive enhanced SEO if your image is more relevant than a typical stock image.
You always want to incorporate your own data and graphs specific to the topic, versus a stock photo inserted just for the purpose of having a photo. You can also use watermarks with your business name or URL on your images. If they do get embedded or the names changed, your brand will still be there.
The easiest way to optimize your media and increase your blog’s SEO is to integrate keywords into captions, descriptions and save images under keyword-rich names.
For example, instead of saving an image under screenshot42.jpg, change the name to customfbapp.jpg. Doing this will help your content rank better when people are searching through image directories, which in turn can provide more visibility to your blog.
Jim Belosic, CEO and co-founder of ShortStack.
#4: Publish Only Your BEST Content
Emeric Ernoult
My hottest business blogging tip is that your content should be the kind you could sell to your clients for $2,000! In other words, don’t be afraid of giving away the know-how you would otherwise sell for a living.
That advice comes from experience. A long time ago, I was a lawyer and I started blogging content that my colleagues would sell for a fee. They looked at me like I was nuts.
Three years later, they were still fighting hard to get a couple of new clients, whereas I was getting many more incoming calls than I could handle, thanks to my blog!
They thought giving away content and advice you would otherwise sell was taking away your business. But in reality, people don’t “steal” your content, they just use it to make sure you’re the expert they’re looking for!
Customers use your content to make sure you're the expert they're looking for. Image source: iStockphoto
Emeric Ernoult, founder of AgoraPulse.
#5: Give Your Whole Story
Paul Colligan
The essence of social media means that our content will never just reside in a single location. We may have videos on YouTube, dialogue and interaction on Facebook, our favorites on Pinterest and articles on websites like this one.
The totality of your content tells a “whole” story that you should, at the very least, consider presenting on your blog. Not everything at your site has to be a “complete” post. In some cases, automation can make this content timeline approach possible. In other cases, it will require a bit of a specific production process.
Either way, your audience is at your blog to learn more about you. Make sure you give them the whole story.
Paul Colligan, expert in content creation and podcasting.
#6: Target Your Market With Useful Content
Michael Delgado
Stop pimping your business with every blog post. Instead, focus on equipping your target market with useful content. That’s how you build a relevant following—and it’s key to creating a community of new customers.
Invite employees to interact with you in your blog comments. Encourage employees to read your blog posts and to interact with you there. It’s a great way to increase your blog engagement and also helps empower employees to share ideas that they might not have otherwise.
Survey your customers to find out what blog content they will find useful. Stop thinking you know what to blog about and ask your readers/customers to tell you. You’ll not only gain valuable insight into what your target market finds useful, but also promote your blog in the process.
Michael Delgado, author of circled.us and the social media community manager at Experian.
#7: Do Interviews/Webinars
Casey Zeman
A great blogging tip that I have found very useful is to interview someone awesome who can provide a ton of value and who will then share the article with his or her community.
Two things happen: 1. The person you interview is excited to share, as long as he or she is depicted in a good light to the community. 2. You get super-solid content for your existing readers and subscribers.
Another tip is webinars. I suppose it depends on what your intention is for your blog. But you should always be looking to increase your subscriber base, so what I have been doing recently is offering webinars/webinar signup boxes on my blog to filter traffic to super high-quality content for nurturing purposes! They choose the time and date of the webinar and it filters them through.
Casey Zeman, creator of YouTube Revealed and Easy Webinar Plugin.
#8: Invite Guest Bloggers
Stephanie Gehman
If you find yourself pressed for time and content, consider seeking out a guest blogger. Don’t be afraid to invite other industry professionals, people on your staff and in your company who have a penchant for writing and good grammatical command to help you build the content for your blog.
Sharing the content of guest bloggers helps you out, offers your audience a fresh perspective, possibly provides you with future guest blogging opportunities and may bring new eyes to your blog if the guest blogger has a following of his or her own.
Invite guest bloggers to help build your content. Image source: iStockphoto
Stephanie Gehman, marketing manager at Harrisburg International Airport.
#9: Guest Post Often
Brian Honigman
When it comes to blogging, the best tip I always share is to guest blog often. Guest blogging, no matter the industry, has tremendous benefits in terms of SEO, branding and most of all, giving you a voice within your industry.
Take a hard look at your field of work and make a list of the top 20 publications that cover this vertical online. These are the websites you should eventually write for to drive traffic and notoriety to your blog.
If you’re new to blogging, write a few articles on your industry for your own blog. Over time, you’ll have a portfolio of pieces to work from that you can pitch to a website on your list as proof of your understanding of this particular professional space.
After this guest post or posts, you’ll be able to share them as further proof of your expertise when pitching other websites on your list. From here, continue to garner a varied portfolio of guest blogs in your industry and allow guest posts on your own blog as well.
If done right, guest blogging can have many positive short- and long-term benefits to your company’s continued online success.
Brian Honigman, digital marketing manager at Marc Ecko Enterprises.
#10: Use Information Architecture
Ben Pickering
Take a step back from content and think about information architecture. Use clear navigation, visible headers, categories and tags to organize your content.
Consider what your audience would expect from your blog and make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for. I think Mint does a great job on their blog.
Mint is a great example of how to use clear navigation, visible headers, categories and tags to organize content.
Ben Pickering, CEO of Strutta.
#11: Focus on People First
Chris Garrett
Too many people prioritize the technical aspects of blogging, when I think it’s the PEOPLE side that makes the most profound difference.
The most successful bloggers listen to their audience, they get to understand their drives and needs, they answer their questions and solve their problems. It’s people who read, share, link and comment.
If there was one thing I think bloggers should look to improve in order to be more successful, it’s people skills.
People are your priority. Image source: iStockphoto
Chris Garrett, founder of Authority Blogger, VP of Educational Content at Copyblogger Media.
#12: Skip the Promotion on Business Blogs
Heidi Cohen
Understand prospects, customers and the public are on your blog to get answers to their questions and accomplish their goals, not yours. Therefore, you must publish content they find useful and interesting that helps them solve their problems.
A great example of how to accomplish this is ePromos, a B2B company selling promotional items. Its blog is called Everyone Loves Free Stuff, an Ad Age Top 150 blog. ePromos promotes its products by showing marketers how to promote their business.
ePromos sells its product by showing others how to promote their products and services.
Heidi Cohen, president of Riverside Marketing and Strategies.
#13: Stop Talking Only About Yourself
Eugen Oprea
I am noticing this on almost every business blog I visit: everyone writes only about their product, service, features, news or product releases.
Instead, I would encourage you to start writing articles that are not directly related to your product, that provide real value for your readers and help them take action.
This will help you be seen as an expert in your industry and it’s a really simple way to attract traffic through social media and SEO. If your content is valuable, your readers will share it and Google will rank it at the top of their search results.
If you can’t spend a lot of time writing, try to attract guest bloggers who will also promote the articles they write.
Provide real value for your readers and help them take action. Image source: iStockphoto
Eugen Oprea, blogs about web analytics, SEO and WordPress.
#14: Answer Consumer Questions
Marcus Sheridan
I think most companies that are serious about blogging are finally realizing that it’s called a “blog,” not a “brag.”
This deeper understanding of the need to educate and inform vs. strictly “sell” has led to more and more companies adopting a common-sense content strategy with their blog, beginning with answering the most common questions they get from customers and consumers every day.
If companies will simply turn themselves into great listeners, and truly hear the questions they’re getting from their customer base, their blogging ideas will never cease and there is also a great chance their overall blog traffic and loyalty will explode.
The bottom line is this: If a consumer is asking the question, your company needs to be answering it.
Many businesses and organizations are finally starting to see the light on this simple yet incredibly important blogging strategy.
Give your customers answers to their questions. Image source: iStockphoto
Marcus Sheridan, thought leader, social media speaker.
#15: Brand Journalism
Tim Gray
Brand journalism will be the biggest thing in blogging over the next few years. The basic idea is simple: A percentage of your blog content should be created with an eye toward being reusable and repurposed across multiple media platforms.
In other words, don’t create a campaign—content created based primarily on your products or services—on your blog. Nobody goes for that any more.
The future belongs to businesses that become media, which means covering your industry like a reporter covers a beat. Listen to what people are saying about your industry (and business) and create interesting content around those subjects.
You’ll be surprised how much traffic you get when you start treating your subject like a reporter.
Tim Gray, social media strategist with Blue Mountain Media.
#16: Be Yourself
Stephanie Sammons
There is so much canned content out there and it’s only getting worse. If you want to have any chance of standing out from the crowd, you need to create your own content!
Work to develop a blogging style that is unique to you. What’s your angle? What’s your view? How can you differentiate yourself from others who are blogging in your niche?
Do your best to weave personal stories, experiences, opinions and lessons learned into your blog posts. This can be incredibly effective for connecting with your readers and growing your following. Also, showcase your personality, passions and interests!
We connect with others and build relationships around our passions and interests. Your personality is something that no one else can duplicate!
Closely evaluate your blog today. Can people get to know you as a human being as soon as they land on your site? Humanize your blog to the point where visitors can truly feel connected to you.
Above all else, if you are true to yourself in the content you create, you will have a much greater opportunity to build a loyal audience!
To stand out from the crowd, create your own content. Image source: iStockphoto
Stephanie Sammons, founder and CEO of Wired Advisor.
#17: Show Your Personality
Louise Julig
Let your personality come out in your posts. Don’t be afraid to give an opinion or let your true colors show.
This is something I sometimes struggle with because in much journalistic writing, you’re not supposed to inject your personality into the story. But people want to know the person behind the business these days, and as long as you can still keep it professional, it helps to write in a way that lets people know there’s a living, breathing human being behind the blog.
Louise Julig, Social Media Examiner’s case study writer, freelance writer.
#18: Deal With Negativity in a Positive Way
Sara Hawkins
I don’t think you can overstate the importance of dealing with negativity in an open and authentic way. Rather than deleting the negative comments, view them as an opportunity to win over a customer, offer help or guidance or even recognize if something went wrong.
Life isn’t 100% positive, and neither is business. Even the most universally loved businesses have naysayers. Allow the business to have a personality and let it shine through when dealing with negativity and adversity. Don’t be afraid to apologize or offer help.
Sara Hawkins, founder Saving For Someday, lawyer, blogger.
#19: Own Your Own Domain Name
Rich Brooks
While this may seem basic, owning your own domain name for your blog is a critical step many businesses still aren’t taking.
Perhaps because they are just testing the waters when they started or they didn’t realize the importance of this step, they have a domaine like mybusiness.blogger.com or mybusiness.wordpress.com. You need to own your own domain!
Whether you run it at blog.mywebsite.com or mywebsite.com/blog, or even if you have to buy another domain name for your blog, you don’t want to rely on someone else’s platform.
When you’re working on someone else’s domain, you’re working for someone else. What if they go out of business? What if you decide to change platforms? Unless you have been posting content on a domain you control, you’ll lose all of the trust and inbound links you’ve built up over the years.
Rich Brooks, president of Flyte New Media.
#20: Immediately Claim Authorship of Your Articles
Don Power
The best business blogging tip I have is to immediately claim authorship of your articles through the official ”rel=author” process recommended by Google. By linking your published articles to your Google+ profile and vice-versa, your Google+ profile picture will begin to appear next to your articles in Google’s search results.
While Google officially says this may not affect your position in search engine results, it says its own statistics confirm that search results containing Google+ profile pictures receive higher click-through rates than those without.
I have personally seen my articles receive much higher ranking in search engine results (and more traffic coming to my blog) after making this small change to the markup of my articles.
Statistics confirm that search results containing Google+ profile pictures receive higher click-through rates than those without.Michael Stelzner
Don Power, managing editor of Sprout Social Insights.
#21: Stop Calling Your Blog a Blog
Michael Stelzner
You’re not a blogger, you’re a publisher.
When I started Social Media Examiner back in October 2009, I made the decision not to call our site a blog. Instead, I opted for the phrase online magazine.
Why? Because every business owner and marketer in the world knows what a magazine is. That word brings to mind rich, thoughtful articles that are designed to educate and inform. There’s no question that a magazine is a publication.
When you start thinking of your blog as a publication, then you can start calling yourself a publisher. When you’re a publisher, your business and editorial decisions become more clear.
Start thinking of your blog as a publication. Image source: iStockphoto
Michael Stelzner, founder and CEO of Social Media Examiner.
What do you think? Are there any blogging tips you would like to share? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.
Images from iStockPhoto.
How to Promote Your Blog With Social Media
Are you looking to use social media to promote your blog?
Sharing your blog posts on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and even Tumblr can help your content gain significant exposure.
But each social media platform is distinct with different benefits and abilities. You need a simple process to tailor your social sharing to generate as much engagement as you can on each of these platforms.
Here’s a process you can use to ensure your posts get maximum mileage. Consider these steps and adapt them to the social platforms where you find your customers.
#1: Tumblr
I’ve been blogging since 1999 and have had my own hosted WordPress blogs since 2003. So I never used to bother much with platforms like Posterous or Tumblr.
Fortunately one day I realized that many of my best prospects were using Tumblr and decided to include it into my social media marketing. And I’m surprised by how many people I know are using it.
Tumblr makes it really easy to share your blog post. You can share with either the “text” or “photo” option.
The HTML code is all ready to use, so I copy it just before publishing the blog post.
Here’s how to share with the “text” option.
Just after you’ve published a post and while you still have the HTML of your blog post open, grab the code and pop over to Tumblr.
Tumblr offers lots of ways to easily share information.
Sharing a post as text is as easy as 1-2-3.
Sharing your blog post on Tumblr is as easy as 1-2-3.
After clicking on “text,” you:
- Type in your blog’s title. You’ve already written it to be compelling and to attract attention, so why reinvent the wheel?
- Put in your link back to your blog post. We could all use more inbound links to our sites, couldn’t we?
- Click on the “HTML” option, paste the code from your blog and hit the green Update button. You’ve already done the formatting, so it works in Tumblr.
You can use Tumblr's WYSIWYG editor or you can click on HTML to add your code.
Voila! Now you can see what the post will look like. The only thing you may need to add are the paragraph breaks.
Add a few tags in and click on the green “Create Post” button and the Tumblr blog is up with a link to your original blog post.
After adding some tags, you're ready to create your post in Tumblr.
Using the “text” option makes your post look like the image below. People will see your headline and formatted text, but all of the images will be reduced to a gray box. When a reader clicks on the headline, they’ll be able to see your post in all its graphical glory.
A problem with posting as text is that images show as gray squares.
Many of us find that the image is more attention-grabbing than the headline. Images are what draw people into your posts.
Here’s how to share with the “photo” option.
To get people to see an image in their Tumblr feed, you simply need to share your post as a photo. You’ll need to provide a link to the image (or upload it from your computer). Then you use the post as the “caption” by pasting it using the same “HTML” option as above.
I chose to do this with my “100 Donors in 90 Days” post:
Posting as an image allows the image to be seen in people's Tumblr feeds without their having to click on the post.
The Benefits of Tumblr
Tumblr isn’t yet one of the top referrers of traffic to my site. As with many platforms, people on Tumblr seem to want to consume the information within Tumblr. Sharing my posts here allows them to consume my content without having to go anywhere else.
As a business owner, the primary benefit of Tumblr is the link back to your site. Inbound links to your site help your site’s search engine optimization.
And I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see the prospects and colleagues that choose to follow me here.
Despite how long it took me to describe this process, the Tumblr step really goes quickly.
#2: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn
The largest social media referrers to my site include Facebook and Twitter. I use HootSuite to post to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all at the same time.
Using HootSuite saves time and helps you make sure people see your post. Images inspire clicks, so Facebook tends to pull images from web links. But Facebook and auto-published RSS feeds don’t always choose the image that fits the post.
HootSuite allows you to choose the image you want to share on Facebook. Being able to choose the image you share is important to your branding. This is why I recommend you use HootSuite to simplify sharing your blog posts on multiple platforms.
Using HootSuite to post as your Facebook page and then going to your personal profile to reshare the page's post helps it to be seen by more people.
While you’re sharing your post, you may as well add LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the “little engine that could” of social media. Other platforms come and go, but LinkedIn keeps chugging along growing every day. For many, it is the main social media platform. So sharing the link there is handy and smart.
Back to Facebook. In the image above, you’ll note that I encourage you to share to your Facebook page, not your Facebook profile.
I used to share it to both until I learned about Facebook’s EdgeRank. Facebook pushes very few page posts into other people’s streams. It favors posts that have lots of interaction such as people liking the posts, commenting on them and sharing them with their friends.
To help your Facebook page get more exposure, use HootSuite to post the blog link to the page. Then manually go into Facebook using your personal account and share the page’s post with your followers. That gives exposure to both your Facebook page and your blog post. Since I’ve been doing this, I’ve seen my Facebook page follower count rise more quickly than it had been.
Share your blog on your Facebook page. Then reshare it using your personal profile.
When I share the page’s update through my personal Facebook profile, I always paste in the same message that I used in HootSuite. Facebook often only shares the link on the page, not the comments about that link. You should consider doing this too. If you don’t add text, your friends won’t have a context for why you’re sharing the link.
Cut your HootSuite update text and paste it into the comment box when you share your page's update.
#3: Google+
Sharing your blog post with the world on your site and on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn isn’t enough. I’m also a huge fan of Google+. In addition to being an amazingly helpful social media platform, Google+ allows you to train Google on how to categorize your site in searches.
I suggest you put your entire blog post into Google+. Google+ allows you to share 100,000 characters rather than LinkedIn’s 120, Twitter’s 140 and Facebook’s early 460. (Facebook appears to have increased its character count to over 60,000 in response to Google+.)
Since Google is indexing Google+ updates so they can be found in regular Google searches, consider helping Google help others find your site.
Here are 6 steps to share your post on Google+:
1. Use Google+ as your brand page.
First, get on Google+ and sign in as your brand page. You just need to click on the gray arrow near your head in the upper-right corner and you’re fine.
As with Facebook, you will first want to share your blog through your Google+ brand page.
2. Paste in the complete URL before putting anything else in.
When you are using Google+ as your page, put in your blog’s URL before you put in anything else. Google+ will grab images from the first web link it identifies.
Paste your blog link in first to ensure the update ultimately links to your blog.
You can use the gray left and right arrows on the image to choose which image is shown with the update.
3. Grab the entire text of your blog post.
Now go back to the tab with your blog post and grab the entire text. Paste that into the Google+ update above the URL you already put in there.
Then go back and copy the blog post title and paste that on top of all of the text.
There are two reasons for doing this. First, you’ve already invested the time in using specific keywords in your blog posts to help Google and other search engines classify your site. Why wouldn’t you reuse them here in Google+?
Second, most people like to consume information from within the social media platform. Few Google+ readers are actually going to click on a link and read your blog post. So make it easier for them by including the entire text here.
Google+ shows readers only the first section, but they can easily click on “read more” to see the rest.
Put the entire text of your blog post over on Google+.
4. Use Google+ formatting.
Now that your entire blog post text is in your Google+ update, format it a bit to make it easier to read. Here is how to format text in Google+:
- Bold words or phrases by putting “*” on either side of the text you want to make bold.
- Italicize words or phrases by putting “_” on either side of the text you want to make italicized.
- Strikethrough words or phrases by putting “-” on either side of the text you want to have a line through.
Formatting text makes it both easier to read and makes it look more like the blog post on your site.
Make your update easier to read by using Google+ formatting options.
5. Share with your page’s circles.
Now you choose whom to share your update with. Since Google+ makes it a bit challenging for pages to get followers, it’s probably a good idea to share it with everyone you can.
Choose the circles you'll share your blog post with.
6. Reshare as a person.
As with Facebook, you’ll now want to go back to your personal profile on Google+. You’ll see the blog post in your stream. Simply click “share” to share it with the circles you find appropriate.
Google+ does a great job of including text from your page’s update, so there’s no need to add much more yourself.
Share your Google+ brand page update in your personal stream.
Since Google+ still makes it difficult for pages to get followers, you probably have a larger following on your personal profile. Using this technique allows your blog and your Google+ brand page to be exposed to more people.
Note: Always remember to choose “public” in addition to any circles you share with.
Share with the appropriate circles and add an interesting heading.
Your blog post now appears in your personal stream.
Now your post is available to all of Google+ in your personal stream.
Too Labor-Intensive?
This all probably seems labor-intensive. It’s not nearly as easy as letting an auto-publishing service share your blog posts to your social media platforms.
But taking these steps respects the way the users of each service interact with each of your blog posts. It’s a great way to keep your brand in front of people. And it helps increase traffic to your website.
I’m getting great results by using these tactics and would love to hear your comments.
What do you think? What are ways that you repurpose your blog content? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.
Category: blog post, blog promotion, blogging, facebook share, hootsuite, How To, linkedin share, marc pitman, reshare, share, share post, Social Sharing, tumblr feeds, tumblr share, twitter share, Visibility /
How to Promote Your Blog With Social Media
Are you looking to use social media to promote your blog?
Sharing your blog posts on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and even Tumblr can help your content gain significant exposure.
But each social media platform is distinct with different benefits and abilities. You need a simple process to tailor your social sharing to generate as much engagement as you can on each of these platforms.
Here’s a process you can use to ensure your posts get maximum mileage. Consider these steps and adapt them to the social platforms where you find your customers.
#1: Tumblr
I’ve been blogging since 1999 and have had my own hosted WordPress blogs since 2003. So I never used to bother much with platforms like Posterous or Tumblr.
Fortunately one day I realized that many of my best prospects were using Tumblr and decided to include it into my social media marketing. And I’m surprised by how many people I know are using it.
Tumblr makes it really easy to share your blog post. You can share with either the “text” or “photo” option.
The HTML code is all ready to use, so I copy it just before publishing the blog post.
Here’s how to share with the “text” option.
Just after you’ve published a post and while you still have the HTML of your blog post open, grab the code and pop over to Tumblr.
Tumblr offers lots of ways to easily share information.
Sharing a post as text is as easy as 1-2-3.
Sharing your blog post on Tumblr is as easy as 1-2-3.
After clicking on “text,” you:
- Type in your blog’s title. You’ve already written it to be compelling and to attract attention, so why reinvent the wheel?
- Put in your link back to your blog post. We could all use more inbound links to our sites, couldn’t we?
- Click on the “HTML” option, paste the code from your blog and hit the green Update button. You’ve already done the formatting, so it works in Tumblr.
You can use Tumblr's WYSIWYG editor or you can click on HTML to add your code.
Voila! Now you can see what the post will look like. The only thing you may need to add are the paragraph breaks.
Add a few tags in and click on the green “Create Post” button and the Tumblr blog is up with a link to your original blog post.
After adding some tags, you're ready to create your post in Tumblr.
Using the “text” option makes your post look like the image below. People will see your headline and formatted text, but all of the images will be reduced to a gray box. When a reader clicks on the headline, they’ll be able to see your post in all its graphical glory.
A problem with posting as text is that images show as gray squares.
Many of us find that the image is more attention-grabbing than the headline. Images are what draw people into your posts.
Here’s how to share with the “photo” option.
To get people to see an image in their Tumblr feed, you simply need to share your post as a photo. You’ll need to provide a link to the image (or upload it from your computer). Then you use the post as the “caption” by pasting it using the same “HTML” option as above.
I chose to do this with my “100 Donors in 90 Days” post:
Posting as an image allows the image to be seen in people's Tumblr feeds without their having to click on the post.
The Benefits of Tumblr
Tumblr isn’t yet one of the top referrers of traffic to my site. As with many platforms, people on Tumblr seem to want to consume the information within Tumblr. Sharing my posts here allows them to consume my content without having to go anywhere else.
As a business owner, the primary benefit of Tumblr is the link back to your site. Inbound links to your site help your site’s search engine optimization.
And I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see the prospects and colleagues that choose to follow me here.
Despite how long it took me to describe this process, the Tumblr step really goes quickly.
#2: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn
The largest social media referrers to my site include Facebook and Twitter. I use HootSuite to post to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all at the same time.
Using HootSuite saves time and helps you make sure people see your post. Images inspire clicks, so Facebook tends to pull images from web links. But Facebook and auto-published RSS feeds don’t always choose the image that fits the post.
HootSuite allows you to choose the image you want to share on Facebook. Being able to choose the image you share is important to your branding. This is why I recommend you use HootSuite to simplify sharing your blog posts on multiple platforms.
Using HootSuite to post as your Facebook page and then going to your personal profile to reshare the page's post helps it to be seen by more people.
While you’re sharing your post, you may as well add LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the “little engine that could” of social media. Other platforms come and go, but LinkedIn keeps chugging along growing every day. For many, it is the main social media platform. So sharing the link there is handy and smart.
Back to Facebook. In the image above, you’ll note that I encourage you to share to your Facebook page, not your Facebook profile.
I used to share it to both until I learned about Facebook’s EdgeRank. Facebook pushes very few page posts into other people’s streams. It favors posts that have lots of interaction such as people liking the posts, commenting on them and sharing them with their friends.
To help your Facebook page get more exposure, use HootSuite to post the blog link to the page. Then manually go into Facebook using your personal account and share the page’s post with your followers. That gives exposure to both your Facebook page and your blog post. Since I’ve been doing this, I’ve seen my Facebook page follower count rise more quickly than it had been.
Share your blog on your Facebook page. Then reshare it using your personal profile.
When I share the page’s update through my personal Facebook profile, I always paste in the same message that I used in HootSuite. Facebook often only shares the link on the page, not the comments about that link. You should consider doing this too. If you don’t add text, your friends won’t have a context for why you’re sharing the link.
Cut your HootSuite update text and paste it into the comment box when you share your page's update.
#3: Google+
Sharing your blog post with the world on your site and on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn isn’t enough. I’m also a huge fan of Google+. In addition to being an amazingly helpful social media platform, Google+ allows you to train Google on how to categorize your site in searches.
I suggest you put your entire blog post into Google+. Google+ allows you to share 100,000 characters rather than LinkedIn’s 120, Twitter’s 140 and Facebook’s early 460. (Facebook appears to have increased its character count to over 60,000 in response to Google+.)
Since Google is indexing Google+ updates so they can be found in regular Google searches, consider helping Google help others find your site.
Here are 6 steps to share your post on Google+:
1. Use Google+ as your brand page.
First, get on Google+ and sign in as your brand page. You just need to click on the gray arrow near your head in the upper-right corner and you’re fine.
As with Facebook, you will first want to share your blog through your Google+ brand page.
2. Paste in the complete URL before putting anything else in.
When you are using Google+ as your page, put in your blog’s URL before you put in anything else. Google+ will grab images from the first web link it identifies.
Paste your blog link in first to ensure the update ultimately links to your blog.
You can use the gray left and right arrows on the image to choose which image is shown with the update.
3. Grab the entire text of your blog post.
Now go back to the tab with your blog post and grab the entire text. Paste that into the Google+ update above the URL you already put in there.
Then go back and copy the blog post title and paste that on top of all of the text.
There are two reasons for doing this. First, you’ve already invested the time in using specific keywords in your blog posts to help Google and other search engines classify your site. Why wouldn’t you reuse them here in Google+?
Second, most people like to consume information from within the social media platform. Few Google+ readers are actually going to click on a link and read your blog post. So make it easier for them by including the entire text here.
Google+ shows readers only the first section, but they can easily click on “read more” to see the rest.
Put the entire text of your blog post over on Google+.
4. Use Google+ formatting.
Now that your entire blog post text is in your Google+ update, format it a bit to make it easier to read. Here is how to format text in Google+:
- Bold words or phrases by putting “*” on either side of the text you want to make bold.
- Italicize words or phrases by putting “_” on either side of the text you want to make italicized.
- Strikethrough words or phrases by putting “-” on either side of the text you want to have a line through.
Formatting text makes it both easier to read and makes it look more like the blog post on your site.
Make your update easier to read by using Google+ formatting options.
5. Share with your page’s circles.
Now you choose whom to share your update with. Since Google+ makes it a bit challenging for pages to get followers, it’s probably a good idea to share it with everyone you can.
Choose the circles you'll share your blog post with.
6. Reshare as a person.
As with Facebook, you’ll now want to go back to your personal profile on Google+. You’ll see the blog post in your stream. Simply click “share” to share it with the circles you find appropriate.
Google+ does a great job of including text from your page’s update, so there’s no need to add much more yourself.
Share your Google+ brand page update in your personal stream.
Since Google+ still makes it difficult for pages to get followers, you probably have a larger following on your personal profile. Using this technique allows your blog and your Google+ brand page to be exposed to more people.
Note: Always remember to choose “public” in addition to any circles you share with.
Share with the appropriate circles and add an interesting heading.
Your blog post now appears in your personal stream.
Now your post is available to all of Google+ in your personal stream.
Too Labor-Intensive?
This all probably seems labor-intensive. It’s not nearly as easy as letting an auto-publishing service share your blog posts to your social media platforms.
But taking these steps respects the way the users of each service interact with each of your blog posts. It’s a great way to keep your brand in front of people. And it helps increase traffic to your website.
I’m getting great results by using these tactics and would love to hear your comments.
What do you think? What are ways that you repurpose your blog content? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.
Category: blog post, blog promotion, blogging, facebook share, hootsuite, How To, linkedin share, marc pitman, reshare, share, share post, Social Sharing, tumblr feeds, tumblr share, twitter share, Visibility /
19 Ways to Build Relationships With Blog Comments
Have you ever left a comment on a blog?
How do you feel when the author replies?
As we’re all ushered into this age of social media, each and every one of us is looking for ways to form stronger relationships with our audience, especially with current and potential customers.
There are many ways to discuss how to cultivate and build relationships. I want to focus on blog comments—an often poorly understood and very underutilized tactic by individuals and businesses.
Focus on your blog commenting strategy to build relationships.
Why Blog Comments?
Over the last 3 years since I started blogging for my two businesses (one company does swimming pools and the other is a sales/marketing company), I’ve personally replied to over 8000 comments on my two blogs.
I don’t give you this number with any intent to brag, but rather to set the stage for a topic that is near and dear to me, and one that I see businesses and bloggers falling short on everywhere, simply because they’re missing a few of these important habits.
This article isn’t about “How to get more blog comments,” but rather how to cultivate better relationships through comments. Notwithstanding, the two do overlap, as you’ll see in the following list.
Finally, you’re going to find that some of the components of this list are nothing more than common sense. But as so many know, common sense, especially in this new culture of social media, can at times be rather uncommon, and therefore needs to be mentioned.
Here’s how to cultivate relationships with blog comments.
#1: Write in a Personal Voice
You can probably tell from just the first few paragraphs of this post that I like to write in a personal tone. And if you’re looking to truly cultivate relationships with the stuff you write, a personal feel will make a HUGE difference.
When done properly, writing in a personal tone and style will immediately help readers feel more comfortable with an author/company and this comfort level naturally lends itself to readers considering leaving their thoughts in the comments section or via email in a direct reply.
So whether you’re writing about swimming pools, insurance, equipment, services, etc.—strive for a personal voice.
#2: Invite Reader Response by Asking Questions
Studies have shown that less than 1% of readers will leave comments on a blog, but I can assure you this number would be better if writers would simply guide the reader in terms of questions at the end of posts.
No matter what your business is, the final paragraph of your blog article is the perfect spot to ask specific questions regarding the topic you’ve just discussed.
Ask readers their thoughts and whether they agree or disagree. Invite them to share further examples that would help other readers. It’s truly amazing the difference this will make if it becomes a habit with everything you write.
PR 20/20 does a very nice job of asking questions at the end of each post in their blog.
By asking questions, readers know you value their opinion, and therefore will be much more inclined to share their thoughts as well.
#3: Don’t be a Know-it-All
Have you ever read a blog article where the author seemed so snooty or conceited that you were left with a feeling of disdain? Believe it or not, this happens a lot with bloggers and businesses, simply because they confuse arrogance with confidence and authority, thus turning off their readers.
So although it’s a good idea to be an authority in your industry, be careful not to be too over-the-top in your efforts to establish your voice, as this will greatly hinder anyone’s desire to continue the conversation with you going forward, especially in a blog’s comment section.
#4: Admit You May be Wrong
This is an especially powerful technique for inviting discussion, especially if what you’re writing is an opinion piece. Social media expert Chris Brogan has used this technique successfully.
By simply admitting you might be wrong in your opinion, you'll come across as much more humble and approachable to your audience.
#5: Utilize an Author Bio and Photo
Did you see the author bio box at the end of this post? Other than the fact that Social Media Examiner authors benefit from this little box from a branding and traffic perspective, it also is a tactical way by which readers can get a personal feel for the article’s author, and therefore be more inclined to leave a comment, share the post, etc.
This feature is especially valuable for multi-author blogs.
Author bio boxes are a great way to help readers "know" your blog's writers even better.
#6: Say a Simple “Hello”
If you see a friend (we’ll call her Nancy in this example) on the street or in the grocery store, what’s the first thing you always do? Chances are, you likely start off with something like, “Oh, hey, Nancy!” or “Hi, Nancy.” A simple salutation is something we do in just about every society, and it’s a good practice to use when responding to blog comments as well.
Just a little “hello” goes a long way in building relationships with readers, and believe it or not, it’s a practice not seen with many blogs and businesses.
Saying "hello" to someone is more an expression of happiness to see a person than just a simple word, and it can be expressed in different ways, as shown here.
#7: Use Readers’ Names
If you’ve ever read the classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, it’s likely that you remember his thoughts on the power of using names. In fact, in the book he states:
Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Such a simple yet profound statement by Carnegie is one that absolutely applies to building relationships with blog comments.
#8: Show Empathy
One of the greatest human needs we all share is wanting to be understood by others. Often, when someone is leaving a comment on your blog, they’re doing it because they want to share about their problems/solutions, failures/triumphs, etc.
This being said, if someone discusses their struggles in their blog comment, always reply with empathy. Recognize what they’ve just told you. This alone will show them you care, and be a powerful relationship-builder.
Everyone wants to feel understood, and wants to know you've listened to their needs. If you show this with your blog comments, you'll be much more successful.
#9: Ask Further Questions
As with #8, let’s say someone experiencing a problem discusses it in a comment. Other than simply responding with a potential answer, you may want to consider asking more questions to better identify what is happening with the individual so that the solution you come up with is the best one.
Also, by asking these questions, the individual (and other readers) will see how much you care and want to assist in solving the problems of another.
Just like you would with an actual client or friend, if someone comes to you with a problem, be sure to ask questions to identify better solutions, as shown here with a comment from my swimming pool blog.
#10: Invite Other Readers to Share Their Solutions
It’s one thing for you and those in your company to answer all of the questions and needs of those who comment on your blog, but it’s another to invite others in your community to step up and give value to readers.
When you have a community of readers who help each other find the answers they’re looking for, this not only takes the pressure off of you to be the “end-all,” but it will also develop a sense of team and community.
Remember this concept of help from the community is not typically an “assumed” thing, which means you need to make it known to readers they’re always invited to leave replies to other folks when they feel they can add value to the discussion.
Here is a snapshot from my marketing blog, where the community often comments and converses with each other beyond my personal replies.
#11: Respond with Personal Emails
With most blogging platforms, a person who leaves a comment must leave their email in order to do so, which is why it’s a great idea at times to personally reply to readers not just in the comment section, but via direct email as well.
I’ve sent personal emails to hundreds of readers of my blog over the last few years, and almost always they’re shocked I took the time to do so. As you might imagine, this is a powerful relationship-building tool.
#12: Be Specific with Your Praise
If a blog reader leaves a thoughtful comment on your blog with excellent points, take the time to point out what about the comment impressed you, plus your additional thoughts. This will show the person that you truly read and appreciated the comment, and in many ways will feel like a “reward” of sorts for their efforts.
By telling your readers exactly what it is about them that impresses you, your words will go a long way in building relationships.
#13: Recognize Returning Commenters
Like the theme from the famous TV show Cheers, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.” Now granted, that statement was referring to a bar, but the same feeling can be created within a blog’s community and in many ways starts with your ability to recognize readers “as they come through the door”.
So if you see someone returning to your blog, make sure they realize you notice their return, and the fact that you appreciate the visit.
By going above and beyond and truly welcoming your blog commenters, they'll be able to see you know and care about them individually.
#14: Use a Plugin/Platform that Ensures all Replies are Read
Because we’re all getting a little tired of our in-boxes being so full these days, there’s a good chance that just because someone leaves a comment on your blog that they’re not going to subscribe to all comments on that post, for fear of “inbox inundation.” This is why it’s critical that along with giving readers the option to subscribe to all comments in the post, you add a plugin that ensures they’ll get your reply emailed to them directly.
For all of you using WordPress and their commenting platform, easily the best plugin for this in my opinion is ReplyMe, as it automatically emails any replies to a commenter directly. This is not only a valuable asset in stimulating discussion, it also shows all commenters that you took the time to reply to their remarks.
There are other blog commenting platforms that help with your ability to communicate and converse with your readers—with Disqus (used here at Social Media Examiner) and Livefyre (used at Spin Sucks) being two of the most popular.
Platforms like Disqus and Livefyre, as shown here at Gini Dietrich's popular blog Spin Sucks, can be great for community participation and conversation.
#15: Thank Readers for Their Support
Out of the 8000+ replies I’ve made to individuals, I’d venture to say I’ve included some type of thank-you in at least 7000 of them. The reason for this is simple—you want commenters to feel appreciated. Although this does add a little bit of time to each reply, it’s well worth it.
#16: Sign Your Name
This little technique is surprisingly practiced by few bloggers and businesses, but it certainly makes a difference. Just as you would in a letter or an email, it’s a great idea to sign your name to every reply you make to a commenter on your blog. Not only will this allow them to know who is talking, it will also have more of a personal feel and touch as well.
Comments are almost like mini letters. So just as you sign your name to a letter, it's a good idea to do it with comments as well to add a personal touch.
#17: Refer to Comments in Future Posts
As most bloggers know, a healthy comment section can be a breeding ground for future blog post subjects, especially when readers are expressing their problems, issues, questions, success stories, etc.
When great thoughts and questions are left in the comments section, not only should you turn these into subjects for future posts, but also mention and give credit to the reader/commenter who inspired the article.
Done the right way, this is a powerful method to show your community you value their input and are looking out for their needs.
#18: Don’t be a Jerk if Someone Disagrees with You
I recently was commenting on another blog and after I disagreed with what the author of the post had said, the person’s response to my comment was, “You’re just wrong.” Yep, that was the response. And as you might imagine, I didn’t leave that blog post with a stronger appreciation for that particular blog and its author.
Always treat those who disagree with you or your blog with respect. Assuming they do it with class, any debate can be very healthy for the blog, the brand and the community. If the person goes over the top and says something blatantly false or offensive, keep in mind at that point it’s absolutely fine to delete the comment, as there is no rule that states all comments MUST be allowed to stay in the comment section.
#19: Respond!
Although I probably should have made this the first item on the list, I wanted to finish off with it because everything we’ve talked about in this article starts and stops with a blogger’s/company’s willingness to take the time to respond to commenters.
Now granted, sometimes this may not be possible due to time and resource constraints (especially in the rare occasion that you get dozens, even hundreds, of comments per post), but if your desire is to cultivate relationships through your blog, a reply to thoughtful commenters and readers is an extremely important element.
Now It’s Your Turn
Even though I’ve come up with 19 ways to cultivate relationships through blog comments in this post, I know there are many more out there that you are likely using as well. So please don’t hesitate to add your suggestions to the list in the comments section below.
What do you think? Are there any items in the list that you don’t agree with, or have a unique experience with? Tell us about it. We’d love to hear more from you! Leave your questions and comments in the box below.
Tumblr CEO David Karp’s Farewell Blog to President John Maloney
Today Tumblr CEO David Karp bid farewell to his friend and mentor John Maloney, who is leaving Tumblr after serving as the company’s president since September 2008. In a blog post this morning, Karp described how he met the UrbanBaby founder in New York City and how he’s had an impact on Tumblr ever since.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Category: blog post, David Karp, Emerging Social Networks, history of Tumblr, john maloney, tumblr, Tumblr president /
5 Creative Tips to Increase Blog Traffic and Boost Your Business
Does your business have a blog?
Is it working for you?
If you said “no,” I wouldn’t be surprised.
But it doesn’t need to be that way.
Keep reading to discover why many blogs fail and what you can do to boost your traffic and brand.
What’s Wrong With Blogs?
This platform, if done properly, can generate tremendous traffic, leads and sales for your business that you otherwise would not have had.
Unfortunately though, most businesses do not blog well. Why? Because they refuse to think like a consumer.
They refuse to tell consumers the answers to the questions they most want answered. And it is because of this approach we so often hear the phrase, “Yeah, our company tried blogging, but it didn’t work for us.”
I own a swimming pool company, and when the economy crashed in 2008, it was our blog that really saved our business.
It's important to remember that it's called a "blog", not a "brag". In other words, we need to have our focus on education and information if we truly want to gain respect, trust, and authority.
By being relentless in our efforts to walk, talk and think like consumers—we were able to garner the love of search engines like Google and thereby get huge search traffic—but we were also able to rise to the top of the entire fiberglass pool industry.
Today, as I share these blogging success principles with companies around the country, I find there are basically two ways that people receive this unique approach to blogging:
“Sure this will work for our industry!”
“Oh no, this doesn’t apply to us at all!”
What’s funny is that folks in the same field often make these statements, yet the only difference is the desire and willingness to experiment with something new.
I say this because I don’t want you to automatically disqualify yourself and your business from what you’re about to read.
Whether you’re a B2B, B2C, product, service, local, international, big or small business—there are sound blogging practices here that could truly help your company.
But enough on that. Let’s talk about how you can take your blog to the next level.
5 Blogging Tips That Work!
#1: Leverage the power of “versus”
As consumers, we love to compare. In fact, we compare companies, products and “stuff” like crazy just to make sure we know we are making a sound buying decision and choosing the best product or service to fit our needs.
For example, because my company sells fiberglass pools, we are constantly explaining to our customers the differences among fiberglass, concrete and vinyl liner in-ground pools. For years, we kept getting these comparison questions on the phone or face to face from customers, so we knew it only made sense to blog about these subjects when we started this process of content marketing in 2009. In fact, the first comparison/versus article we ever wrote was entitled, “Fiberglass Pools vs. Vinyl Liner Pools vs. Concrete Pools: An Honest Comparison.”
This one article led to tons of search traffic for my company, but it also opened the floodgates to so many other blogging possibilities and subjects.
After this article was written, I was able to see just how powerful the post was, as it ranked #1 on Google for many important keyword phrases, including:
- Fiberglass vs. vinyl liner pools
- Fiberglass vs. concrete pools
- Concrete pools vs. vinyl liner pools
- And many others
When I saw how quickly this article had captured so many long-tail keyword phrases (phrases of three or more words that have less search competition) in Google search engine rankings, I knew it would only make sense to continue with these comparison-based articles on the blog.
As you can see from the image below, the results thus far have been profound. In fact, just try searching any of the “versus” keyword phrases you see above and you’ll be able to verify how my pool company is on the first page of Google almost every time, usually with the ranking of #1.
Here are some of the top "versus" articles of my company website. Try searching the keyword phrases of each in Google and notice the results.
Keep in mind though these types of “versus” comparison-based articles aren’t just for getting the attention of Google and the search engines. In the article that compared fiberglass, vinyl and concrete swimming pools, the comparisons were truly unbiased and honest. I didn’t make fiberglass out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. I talked about its pros and cons compared to the other types of pools in a very open manner.
And it was because of this (and all of the other comparison articles I wrote) that the blog soon became “the consumer voice” of the in-ground pool industry. People knew they could go there for honest and accurate information, and as a natural byproduct, our customers in Virginia and Maryland felt like they were dealing with the thought leaders of the entire industry.
So look for ways to compare the products and services you sell versus the products and services of others in your field. Give factual information about each. The opportunities here are almost endless and the amount of content ideas that can come from this one subject could very well give you dozens or even hundreds of blog post possibilities.
#2: People want the best, now give it to them
Think about all of the times you’ve asked the question,
“What is the best way to…?” or
“What is the best type of…?”
When it comes to researching and making a buying decision, we love to know the “best.”
There is also a very good chance the prospects and customers in your industry are online searching these types of phrases, which is why you should look for opportunities to utilize the word “best” in your content.
For example, as someone who writes about business blogging all the time, I decided to write an article on my marketing blog entitled “50 Qualities of the Best Business Blogs in the World.” Within two days of writing that post, it was ranked on the first page of Google for the phrase “Best Business Blogs,” which has generated significant traffic to the site since it was published. Furthermore, it’s these types of articles that will build your reputation as an expert in your field.
Within 48 hours of writing this post, it was ranked on the first page of Google for a very important keyword phrase—"best business blogs."
#3: Focus on problems
Let’s pretend for a second you’re going to buy a pool and you decide to meet with a fiberglass pool builder and a concrete pool builder. Assuming you meet with the concrete pool builder and you tell him that you’re also considering fiberglass, what do you think he would say about the merits of fiberglass?
If you guessed he would likely start telling you about all the “problems” and “issues” of fiberglass pools, you’re right.
In most cases, when consumers are left to debate the merits of the two pools (or anything else, for that matter), where do you think they’re going to go to find out the truth and get an “expert” opinion?
The answer, of course, is the Internet. And in this case, they’ll likely go to Google (or any other search engine) and type in something like, “fiberglass pool problems” or “What are the problems with a fiberglass pool?”
If you're willing to address negative phrases like "problems" in your blog and company content, consumers will be impressed with your transparency and your brand will greatly benefit.
Knowing that people were constantly typing this phrase into the search engines, instead of being an ostrich and burying our heads in the sand, we decided to write an article on the entitled ”Top 5 Fiberglass Pool Problems and Solutions.”
Immediately, the article shot up to #1 on Google for the phrase “fiberglass pool problems.” But not only that, because consumers saw how open and honest our company was about the product we sold, the article also generated many, many leads, as shown in the image below, and has been read over 100,000 times in the last two years.
Here are the highest-converting keyword phrases of my swimming pool website. Notice how well the phrase "fiberglass pool problem(s)" has done for lead generation. In fact, this one article has made our company over $500k in sales, as many of those leads eventually became customers.
#4: Reveal pricing
A few weeks back, I wrote an article on 5 reasons your content marketing must address price, in which I discussed the merits of addressing the subject of pricing on company websites. So as to not repeat that whole post, the premise behind being more open about this subject comes down to these factors:
- Pricing questions are the first ones consumers tend to ask, whether it’s to Google or an actual person. So if pricing is that important to a potential customer, then we need to figure out ways to address the subject in our content or risk the chance of our web visitors looking elsewhere for the information they seek.
- Because the pricing/cost subject is so critical and a popular search term in every industry, if you address this subject you’ve now put yourself in the position to possibly rank for those keywords in search and experience the huge numbers of visitors that come with it.
- Be more open about pricing to set yourself apart from your competitors and garner respect from consumers who appreciate your willingness to address their questions.
Here are the top 15 pages (in terms of views) for my swimming pool website over the last two years. Of these top 15, 5 are cost/price-related. These are also some of the highest-converting pages of the site as well.
Note: Just as we discussed in the previous article, addressing the pricing/cost subject doesn’t mean you necessarily give specifics. It may just include ranges or an explanation of the factors that dictate what a customer ultimately spends on your product or service.
With respect to your blog and business, a good idea when it comes to price is to write a cost-related article for every product or service that you sell. For some businesses, this means dozens if not hundreds of content opportunities, which will in turn continue to aggregate more search visitors and traffic to your site for months and years to come.
#5: Break news
If you truly want to be known as the voice of your industry, the subject of real-time breaking news can have an incredible impact on your company’s brand and authority.
Popular speaker and author David Meerman Scott has put a new name to this action: “Newsjacking.” He further says:
Whenever there is a hot story in the news, there is an opportunity to create and publish original content that the media will find and will get you coverage.
Newsjacking can be by writing a blog post, doing a YouTube video, creating an infographic, or even publishing a book on Kindle.
I’ve seen cases of “newsjacking” in all industries, but I’ll just mention one of my own here. About two years ago, a major fiberglass pool manufacturer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The day it happened, a few people who were familiar with my blog emailed me the news, at which point I immediately ran a story on the event. Not only did that article bring a record amount of traffic and attention to my blog that day, but it also still ranks for major keywords as well, which means continued traffic and leads to my website.
If big news breaks in your industry, act fast and discuss the event on your blog. The results can have a lasting impact on your business.
So if you have a blog, keep your ear to the ground and listen for opportunities to present breaking news to the public. By doing this, peers and consumers alike will see you as a leader in your field, which will ultimately increase your chances of getting more business.
Now it’s your turn…
So there you have it, folks—5 unique blogging tips that will boost your business and brand.
What do you think? I’d love to know if you’ve tried any of the above suggestions. If so, what were the results of your efforts? Which ones do you feel like you can improve on the most? Finally, what are some other blogging subjects you would add to the list? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.
Category: blog article, blog post, blog seo, blogging, Breaking News, business blogging, Content, content ideas, How To, Leads, Marcus Sheridan, newsjacking, sales, Traffic /
26 Tips for Writing Great Blog Posts
Do you blog? Feel like you’re trying to reinvent the wheel time and again?
Looking for some ideas to simplify your content creation process?
What follows are 26 tips, from A-Z, to help you create optimal blog posts every time you sit down to write.
#1: Anatomically Correct
A blog post contains several areas that require our attention and care. Pamela Seiple refers to six parts of the anatomy of a lead-generating blog post:
- Eye-catching title
- In-text links to landing pages
- Sidebar/banner calls to action
- Social sharing buttons
- Call to action at the bottom
- Relevancy—making sure the post is relevant from top to bottom
Parts of the blog anatomy.
Example of more anatomical parts to include in your blog posts.
#2: Blogging Platform
By knowing the ins and outs of your blogging platform, you’ll ensure that your posts look as good as they can. Take the time to master the visual editor (or raw HTML, if you prefer) so that you know how to format a post, insert an image and embed a video or podcast.
Whether you’re working in platforms such as WordPress, Tumblr or Posterous, it’s good to stay up to date on the features and new versions.
If you’re not comfortable with the more technical aspects of blogging, try to find someone who can be a resource for you to answer questions as they arise.
WordPress' editor where you can toggle between visual and HTML editing functions.
#3: Categories
Whether your new blog post is a stand-alone article or part of a series you’re writing, it should fit into your blog categories as well as your overall corporate content strategy. Meaning that you want to stay on topic and have your posts fit into the categories you’ve established.
For example, HubSpot has nine categories on their blog. Posts are written to fit in with each of these categories. Writing about category topics such as analytics, blogging, email marketing, HubSpot TV, etc., allows both readers and writers to stay focused on what they can expect to see on HubSpot’s blog.
When you choose your categories, ask yourself, do they make sense, and do they fit into the objectives of my business? Having clearly defined blog categories will help you continue generating meaningful content and topics for your blog.
Write posts that fit into your categories.
#4: Description
Most search engines will use a maximum of 160 characters for your post description on their results pages. If you don’t create a meta-description (defined as a “…concise summary of your page’s content”), a search engine will often take the first 160 characters it finds on your page instead.
Note too, that when you create a meta-description that is fewer than 160 characters, you’ll see the full description in the search engine. Otherwise it will be cut off.
An example of a meta-description created within the All-In-One SEO Pack plugin in WordPress.
An example of how a post's description appears in Google search results with and without the meta-description.
#5: Editorial Calendar
Bloggers find editorial calendars helpful for scheduling and organizing topics for posts. Some people use their calendars to track more elaborate details.
Michele Linn suggests using specific tabs in a spreadsheet to track info for each post such as: post date, author, tentative title, keywords, categories, tags, call to action and status. She says “By tracking more than topic and date it will help to make sure the key elements you need for SEO, digital optimization and conversion are accounted for.”
Download a sample editorial calendar worksheet.
An example of a template for a master editorial calendar as shown by Michele Linn.
#6: Fine-Tune and Revise
Like other forms of writing, a blog post is rarely completed in one draft. Many writers find it helpful to take a post through several revisions and fine-tune the post as you go along. Check grammar, spelling and punctuation, and make certain that all of your links are working.
#7: Guidelines for Writing for Search Engines
By following a few tips and best practices, you can increase the chance that your blog post will be found by search engines—by Google in particular.
The State University of New York at Plattsburgh offers these helpful writing tips:
- Google likes text
- Google likes formatting
- Google likes freshness
- Google likes accessibility
- Google likes outbound hyperlinks
- Googlebot isn’t psychic, so remember to link your pages
- Google likes you to tell it where you are
- Google likes experts
#8: Headings
Joost de Valk offers some good suggestions regarding blog headings. He writes, “The heading structure of your pages is one of the very important aspects of on-page SEO. It defines which parts of your content are important, and how they’re interconnected. Because they have different goals, a single post needs another heading structure than your blog’s homepage or your category archives.”
He offers five basic principles about heading structure:
- The most important heading on the page should be the H1
- There is usually only one H1 on any page
- Subheadings should be H2s, sub-subheadings should be H3s, etc.
- Each heading should contain valuable keywords; if not, it’s a wasted heading
- For longer pieces of content, a heading is what helps a reader skip to the parts that he/she finds interesting
Headings should contain valuable keywords.
#9: Images
Blog posts are made up of more than words and headings.
Judy Dunn recommends five ways the right photo can increase readership and blog views:
- Convey the overall feeling or emotion of your post
- Illustrate a metaphor or analogy that is part of your main idea
- Evoke surprise or curiosity
- Complement your headline
- Make your reader smile
Judy points out too that readers are visual learners and images can help people take in and retain information better.
#10: Journalistic Approach
Bloggers can learn a lot from traditional journalists and the ways that they approach their news stories.
Mickie Kennedy offers five things that bloggers can learn from journalists:
- Get your facts straight
- Trust has to be earned
- Give credit to your sources
- The inverted pyramid works (basic overview in first paragraph and then delve into more details in subsequent paragraphs)
- Editing and proofreading are essential
As shown on Wikipedia.org
#11: Killer SEO and Blog Design
Cyrus Shepard makes an important case for having a beautiful blog. He says, “…the overall design of your site is the first thing visitors see and it significantly influences bounce rate, page views and conversions.”
Cyrus suggests that certain elements on the page will add to a blog’s success:
- Search box
- RSS feed
- Breadcrumbs (helping users navigate),
- Flat site architecture by minimizing the number of clicks it takes to reach your content
- Images
- Keep your best content above the fold
- Link to your best content
- Don’t overdo links
- Watch ad space
- Encourage comments
- Add sharing buttons
- Test the blog for speed
- Check your blog in different browsers
- Pick a powerhouse blogging platform (e.g., WordPress, Posterous, Tumblr)
For a resource that will help remind you of these killer SEO suggestions, check out Cyrus’ infographic, Blog Design for Killer Search Engine Optimization.
#12: Lists
Lists have become a very popular type of blog post.
Nate Riggs offers three types for bloggers to consider: brief, detailed and hybrid lists.
The brief list has little description but can entice readers to bookmark the post to use the list as a resource down the road or to share it across their own networks.
In a detailed list, each bullet is a complete thought and serves as a good way to communicate complex information.
The hybrid list combines the elements of short and detailed lists, often with descriptive narratives or explanations in paragraphs between the actual lists.
Nate’s post has a lot of useful information about lists as a powerful content marketing tactic and is a good example of a hybrid list.
#13: Metrics for Blogging
Magdalena Georgieva identifies five metrics to keep an eye on to know how your blogging is going: visitors, leads, subscribers, inbound links and social media shares.
As Magdalena says, “Measure the performance of your business blog regularly to identify weaknesses in the content you’re producing, what topics your audience truly cares about, and what blogging tactics work for you.”
When you find topics and approaches that work particularly well, try to replicate those efforts and be willing to let go of features that aren’t performing well. Magdalena recommends looking at your five most successful blog posts and asking, “What do they have in common?”
#14: Names, Titles and Bio
Not only are readers interested in the content in your blog post, they also want to know who wrote the post and their role at your organization.
Sometimes you’ll come across a thoroughly researched and well-written post only to find an attribution of “admin.” Even if the blog is only written by you and you’re the administrator of the blog, be sure to include your name, title and a way for readers to contact you.
#15: Original vs. Curated Content
The type of post you write can contain completely original content or can consist of content that you’ve curated.
Pamela Seiple addresses the issue of curated content and makes an important point when she says, “There’s a misconception among marketers that curated content is lazy and unoriginal, but we think it’s the complete opposite. It takes time and careful evaluation to create quality curated content and the result is oftentimes a very valuable piece of content that helps people seeking information on a given topic to cut through the clutter on the web and save time.”
The 26 tips series here on Social Media Examiner is an example of curated posts, pulling in the expertise of others who have written on the topic. As a curator of this kind of post, I love the journey of the research and find it especially rewarding to see the content pulled together in a way that hadn’t been previously available. Curated posts can be incredibly gratifying!
#16: Publish and Promote
Kristi Hines speaks about the publishing and promoting stages of creating a successful blog post. Kristi says that one thing you want to do during the publishing stage is to ensure that your post has some kind of call to action. “Think about what you want people to do once they’ve read the post….”
Promoting a blog post can involve a fair amount of thought and strategy, as you’ll see from Kristi’s approach. She has a different plan in place for “averagely awesome posts, awesome posts and killer awesome posts.”
What differs for the three types of posts is how many social networks she shares the posts with, whether she includes the post in her writing portfolio and whether it’s included in her custom RSS feed or utilizes blog commenting promotion and direct messaging partners in social media to see if they’ll help spread the word.
Kristi describes promotion as taking from a few minutes to a few hours, and recommends taking the time to build a good foundation before you expect to execute a successful blog promotion.
#17: Questions
What are you going to write about post after post, week after week, year after year? Sometimes thinking about content for your blog can seem daunting.
Lee Odden offers a great piece of advice: “One particularly effective way to get content ideas for blogging comes from reviewing web analytics for the kinds of questions people type into search engines like Google or Bing that deliver visitors.”
In one example, Lee said that he noticed that numerous visitors each month were typing in the question “What does a community manger do?” and search engines were sending them to one of his posts about that topic. He used it as an opportunity to explore other related questions about social community managers and providing content in the form of answers.
What questions are your web visitors asking before they arrive on your pages? How can you maximize your content to answer readers’ questions?
#18: Research
Well-researched blog posts can differentiate your content from your competitors’. Being known as a go-to source in your industry will help make your blog stand out. Where do you go to research posts?
I find that utilizing a variety of sources helps me gather the information I’m seeking.
For example, while I can often find a lot of useful content via web-based searches, sometimes there’s nothing like a visit to the library or a bookstore where I often will discover a helpful book on the shelf that I wouldn’t have known existed if I hadn’t been standing there physically eyeballing them.
Oli Gardner makes a good case for using social media research for your blog posts. He suggests ten social media research strategies:
- StumbleUpon
- Infographics
- Twitter real-time searches
- Facebook events
- Experts who are using LinkedIn
- Uncovering quotes with Delicious
- Letting users tell you within the comments section of your blog and others
- Creating roundup mega-lists with Delicious and StumbleUpon
- Apps on Facebook
- Delicious and Google Marketplace
- YouTube and the UrbanDictionary
#19: Stand Out
When you’ve been blogging in a competitive marketplace for a while, chances are good that you’ll see other bloggers writing on topics similar to yours. It doesn’t mean that you have to stay away from the topic completely; rather you can use it as an opportunity to see what worked and didn’t work in their post and write yours in a way that will help you to stand out in the topic area.
By reading the comments on similar blog posts, you will get a great view of what questions and thoughts people had after reading the post and you can take a slightly different angle by making sure you cover those areas in your article.
#20: Title
How important is the title of your blog post? Simply put, very important!
Brian Clark writes that the title is the first, and perhaps only, impression you make on a prospective reader.
He says, “Without a headline or post title that turns a browser into a reader, the rest of your words may as well not even exist.
But a headline can do more than simply grab attention. A great headline can also communicate a full message to its intended audience, and it absolutely must lure the reader into your body text.”
An example of an eye-catching title from copyblogger.com.
#21: User-Centered Content
Possibly one of the worst mistakes a blog post can make is missing the mark of its readers, forgetting who they are and their needs and interests.
Georgy Cohen goes as far as to say that content can serve as customer service and that to be helpful, content should be user-focused (asking what our users’ problems and priorities are), communicated clearly and presented in succinct language.
#22: Valuable Content
In the perfect blogging world, creating valuable content would be at the top of every blogger’s list for their post objectives.
While our definitions about valuable content may vary, Ahava Leibtag has created a very helpful step-by-step checklist that reminds us to ask five questions:
- Can the user find the content
- Can the user read the content
- Can the user understand the content
- Will the user want to take action
- Will the user share the content
She suggests:
- Findable content includes: an H1 tag; at least two H2 tags; metadata including title, descriptors and keywords; links to other related content; alt tags for images.
- Readable content includes: an inverted-pyramid writing style, chunking, bullets, numbered lists, following the style guide.
- Understandable content includes: an appropriate content type (text, video), indication that you considered the users’ persona, context, respect for the users’ reading level, articulating an old idea in a new way.
- Actionable content includes: a call to action, a place to comment, an invitation to share, links to related content, a direct summary of what to do.
- Shareable content includes: something to provoke an emotional response, a reason to share, a request to share, an easy way to share, personalization.
Download the checklist for future reference.
Ahava Leibtag's Valuable Content Checklist.
#23: Word Count
How many words should you have in your blog post? Some blogs have set parameters for optimal length and put a value on whether a post is short or long.
Corey Eridon has an interesting perspective on word count and suggests that focusing on blog word count might not be as important as you think it is. “Some topics take 100 words to explain, some take 1,000, and that’s okay.”
Corey suggests that writers focus instead on whether posts are optimized for mobile, use effective formatting, communicate in a clear manner and that outlining the points you want to cover may ultimately be a better use of your time and energy.
If you’re restricted to shorter posts by the parameters set up in advance for your blog, then you could also follow Corey’s advice to link to longer-form content you’ve developed around the topic.
Bottom line: Don’t let the quantity of words dictate the quality of your post.
#24: (E)xcerpt
On the heels of our discussion about blog word count, a shorter blog post can also be an excerpt or summary of what readers will find in your longer-form content—e.g., eBook or white paper—but it needn’t be restricted to words.
You can also use an excerpt of the transcript or a brief description to demonstrate what information the users will learn if they watch your video or listen to your podcast.
Mike Stelzner provides great excerpts from his expert interviews on Social Media Examiner.
#25: Your Story
Readers like to get to know how writers tick and often appreciate hearing a few personal details and insights from the person who has taken them on a journey through a post. While business blogs shouldn’t be thought of as personal journal entries, you can tell your readers a little bit about how you operate.
For example, I stated above that writing curated posts like the 26 tips series here on Social Media Examiner is one of my favorite types of posts to write. (Truth be told, curated posts are also some of my favorite types to read.)
In the description of “research” above, I also shared how research is one of my favorite parts of blogging and how I enjoy researching both online and offline by doing the footwork of visiting libraries and bookstores in search of materials.
What parts of yourself are you willing and able to share with your readers?
#26: Zone for Writing
Ideas for blog posts come at all times—when you’re driving in your car, sitting at your desk, and yes, even in the middle of the night!
Chances are good though that the actual writing of the post will happen in multiple drafts and revisions, and depending on how you work, it may take place over a period of days.
What can be helpful is to create a time and place where you can get into the zone for writing and allow yourself to go with it, with as few interruptions as possible.
What do you think? How do you keep your blog posts consistent and dynamic? What tips would you add? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.
Category: blog categories, blog description, blog design, blog excerpt, blog heading, blog metrics, blog post, blog posts, blog title, blogger, blogging, blogging platform, call to action, content marketing, curated content, debbie hemley, editorial calendar, How To, images, lead generation, Lists, meta description, subhead, word count, wordpress, writing /
Blogging Success: How to Create Content People Love
Would you like to create content that people would go crazy for?
To learn the secrets of attention-grabbing blog posts that generate traffic, I interview Michael Hyatt for this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast.
More About This Show
It’s designed to help busy marketers and business owners discover what works with social media marketing.
The show format is on-demand talk radio (also known as podcasting).
In this episode, I interview Michael Hyatt, author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, and the host of the This Is Your Life podcast.
Michael shares his experiences as a successful blogger and content creator.
You’ll learn why headlines and photos are the most attention-grabbing aspects of your articles.
Share your feedback, read the show notes and get the links mentioned in this episode below!
Listen Now
You can also subscribe via iTunes, RSS, Stitcher or Blackberry.
Here are some of the things you’ll discover in this show:
Content Creation
Michael Hyatt
Michael tells the story of when he first started blogging in 2004. He was the CEO at Thomas Nelson and saw blogging as a means to communicate with his own employees. It was a way to be innovative, rather than sending out standard email newsletters.
It wasn’t until someone suggested opening it up to the public that he thought it was a cool idea and maybe could become an archive for his best thinking.
Listen to the show to hear about Michael’s blogging schedule when he first started.
What evergreen content brings to your website
Michael’s blog today averages around 300-400 blog comments a day. Michael explains that about half of his traffic comes from older posts. These include posts that he wrote 2-3 years ago that still get a huge amount of comments today.
Michael shares how he promotes his older posts. One of the tactics he uses is to bulk upload and schedule tweets in SocialOomph for older articles such as this one:
Michael had the idea from when he was working in the book publishing world. Publishers have two types of books: new books (newly published or yet to be released) and a backlist (an archive of content). For large publishing companies such as Thomas Nelson, 50-60% of their revenue can come from their backlist.
Most bloggers don’t have a strategy for this. They write it, it disappears and then it’s gone forever.
Listen to the show to find out Michael’s secret for keeping his older blog posts up to date and continuing to drive more traffic.
How to write killer blog posts
Over time Michael has written about 1,400 posts. You’ll learn how he tries to start from the reader’s perspective and frame everything in terms of his or her needs. Somebody once said, “People are tuned into WIIFM (Whats In It For Me).”
You have to write from this particular viewpoint if you’re going to be successful. Look at what other people’s hopes, fears, frustrations and obstacles are. And don’t assume that everybody knows what you know.
Michael talks about how a lot of his how-to articles stem from what he needs to find out and then he documents the process for his readers. These articles bring him a ton of traffic every day.
This article still brings Michael a huge amount of traffic today.
Listen to the show to learn why the how-to articles have been the most successful for Michael.
Topics to write about
Michael explains how he uses “intentional leadership” as a filter for content on his website. He shares how he might look at a current event and reframe it into a leadership lesson.
You’ll also learn how to decide what to publish on your site and how to stay focused on being good at what you do.
Listen to the show to find out why giving away your best stuff is endlessly rewarding.
Creating successful blog article headlines
Michael explains the difference between a good headline and a bad headline. A good headline is one that prompts the reader to read the rest of the article. Most people simply scan headlines and do not actually read the article.
He explains that he has about 200 different blogs that he subscribes to via RSS. He scans the headlines every morning and if the headline doesn’t grab his attention, he doesn’t read any further.
Good blog titles stand out in RSS feeds such as Google Reader.
You have a few seconds to grab people’s attention. The headline has to be relevant, target a need and create intrigue, so it makes the scanning reader stop and read further. And the headline has to tell people what the article is about.
His advice to bloggers is to get proficient at copywriting. You can read books on copywriting or take a course.
Listen to the show to hear how David Garfinkel’s book Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich can get your creative juices flowing.
How to use photos in blog posts
Michael explains that he uses photography for the same reason that magazines and newspapers use them. It’s another way to stop prospective readers and pull them into your content.
Most of us are pretty visually oriented and we comprehend images much faster than text. We establish the relevancy of the article with the right image.
Michael gets all of his images from iStockphoto. He also says you can go to Flickr and other services out there. It helps to use a service with a database that enables you to search by keywords and get what you need quickly.
Make the effort to find a good photo for your blog content.
On average Michael spends 10-20 minutes per blog post to find the right photo. You’ll hear why he rejects photos that are cliché.
Listen to the show to hear why Michael uses photos that reflect the diversity of his audience in his blog posts.
How to structure your blog posts
As a blogger, Michael sees himself as having the privilege of leading important conversations. He is not there to pontificate or teach primarily, but to start a conversation and get the ball rolling. The idea is for the conversation to continue in the comments area and his blog community.
Michael gets the conversation started by always ending his blog posts with an open-ended question that invites participation. He says as a blogger, his aim is not only to get people talking with him, but talking to one another.
Michael shares the strategy behind answering the first 10-15 comments on each blog post. He also has a group of community leaders to help monitor the conversation. He shares how his community leaders are co-hosts who steer people to resources that answer their questions in more detail and greater depth. Also, he has found that asking a second question draws people out.
Michael Hyatt makes sure the conversation continues in the comments section.
Michael uses Disqus to monitor his comment area and finds that being present helps deter a lot of spam.
Listen to the show to hear a great example of how Michael ends a blog post.
What expert video interviews bring to your blog community
Michael loves to interview people. He finds bringing interviews to his blog gives him a lot of credibility. It’s his job not just to serve up great content, but also to invite people who can provide great content that he knows his community will enjoy.
Michael interviews people he knows will bring great content to his community.
Listen to the show to hear what type of people Michael likes to interview.
How to grow an email list with your blog
Michael feels that his most important asset is his email newsletter list. He doesn’t have the same kind of influence over the people who read him via RSS as he does over an email subscription. He knows it’s an audience that he can reach when he needs to and he can go directly to them.
He also realized he needed some kind of incentive to get people to sign up. So about 18 months ago, he created a book entitled Creating Your Personal Life Plan.
Offering a free ebook to subscribers has had a huge impact on his list.
He designed the ebook in Keynote and made it available for free to anybody who subscribed. To date there have been over 176,000 downloads. It’s been a huge driver for his email list. Now he has about 100,000 people who hear from him every time he publishes a blog post.
Listen to the show to hear how you can mobilize people through email and generate an initial burst of traffic.
Survival Tip: Social Media Examiner Networking Clubs
Are you looking for a help with social media? Check out Social Media Examiner’s Networking Clubs. The Networking Clubs are a free resource where you can network and join discussions with 8000 like-minded people.
There are three clubs: Facebook, Blogging and Small Business. You’ll find an active community and interesting discussions in each of these clubs.
Check out the Networking Clubs if you have any questions on social media.
Listen to the show to learn more and let us know if you’ve tried our Networking Clubs.
Other Show Mentions
As you’d expect, Social Media Examiner recruited the biggest and best names in the world of social media marketing for this conference. Only the best for you! Be sure to check it out.
Key takeaways mentioned in this episode:
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What do you think? What are your thoughts on what makes blog posts attractive? Please leave your comments below.